Revisiting Our Worldview

Stories are powerful. We may not always realize it, but the stories we tell each other shape our beliefs, thought patters, and actions. As a child, my dad told me not to wash my head with hot water because it would make me go bald. He’s bald, so I didn’t question it since I wanted to keep my hair. Without investigating it for myself, I allowed that story to shape me to the point that I always turn down the water temperature when it comes time to shampoo my hair. (A quick google search today confirmed that is pretty much a myth.)

There are so many stories that we tell as families, social groups, and as a wider society that shape the way we look at life - our worldview. These stories seek to answer the big questions like: Is there a God? How did we get here? Why are we here?

Over the last three blogs, I’ve explored the biblical stories that served as worldview shaping narratives for ancient Israelites. Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and Genesis 3 were important traditional stories that would’ve been passed down orally for generations in order to help answer some of those big questions.

But if the creation stories of Genesis are so old, can they be useful for us today? Well, if they weren’t useful then we would’ve forgotten about them a long time ago. They continue to shape the Church, and the message within them is in stark contrast to the stories of our society. Now that we’ve explored the stories, let’s look at the different ways in which they still influence us today.

Question 1 - Is there a God?
Our culture: We can’t possibly know if there’s a God. Knowledge comes to us through empirical evidence, and no one has ever been able to prove that God exists. It’s best to assume that God doesn’t exist because you can live life fully without a divine being. You’re the centre of your life and what’s most important is you. If, on the off chance there is a god, that god is whatever you want it to be. You can be god, or creation can be your god. Either way, no god should have any authority over our individual autonomy.  

Genesis 1-3: Before there was anything, there was God. God isn’t a figment of our imagination, instead, all of creation is a product of God’s great power and love. God is completely other than this world. He’s all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. God stood above the chaos and created life by simply speaking things into being. God brought order and goodness into this world. He’s the divine designer of all that we see and experience. 

God is seriously invested in the flourishing of His creation. Before humanity decided to turn away from God, there was shalom (holistic peace) between humanity and God, amongst humans, and with all creation. God’s trajectory has always been towards life and blessing so that His creation can reach its full intended potential. This God also chooses to make Himself know to His creation. We know God through His self-revelation of Scripture, creation, and of course, Jesus. Not only does God make Himself known, but for whatever reason, He chooses to partner with humanity in doing His work in the world. God’s all about relationship and intimacy, and it’s in relationship with Him that we find ourselves on the path of flourishing and life.

Question 2 - How did we get here?
Our culture: What we know about how we got here is told to us by science. Theories always improve as technology and our understandings expand. Modern understanding is that our universe started billions of years ago as a massive explosion began the expansion of energy. Through the process of evolution, all living things eventually came to be from that a single source. 

Genesis 1-3: The “How” isn’t so much a “How” as it is a “Who.” We are here, and the whole universe is here, because of God. Genesis isn’t interested in trying to answer this question from a scientific perspective, but from a theological one. God is the single source from which all life comes. Any scientific theory or discovery of God’s intervention and manipulation of matter to create our reality is irrelevant if not paired with the theological assertion that it was God who did it.

Question 3 - Why are we here?
Our culture: Enjoy life! Make the most of it. If there’s no higher power, then there’s no one to prescribe any meaning to our existence. And so, the purpose we create is of our own making. Your worth can’t be objective, but is derived from your experience and society’s subjective interpretation. The North American dream is to be rich, happy, have lots of stuff, and make great memories. If you can do that, you’ve made your life meaningful.

Genesis 1-3: Our dignity and worth is found in the God who created us in His image. Both male and female are created very good and very much equal. Since human dignity is conferred, we are never justified in viewing any person - no matter what race, social class, or ability - as being less that God’s beautiful creation. We’re here because God wants us here and wants to be in relationship with us. We lose our connection with God when we decide that we know better than Him and go our own way, rejecting the path that He has given us that leads to life.

“God also gave us a specific purpose - to be stewards of God’s creation. We do this by taking on God’s invitation to partner with Him for the flourishing of God’s world.”

God also gave us a specific purpose - to be stewards of God’s creation. We do this by taking on God’s invitation to partner with Him for the flourishing of God’s world. The basic instruction is to be fruitful and multiply, and we fulfill that as we strive for the kind of shalom that was lost because of sin. When we strive for reconciliation between us and God, us and each other, and us and creation, we participate in the work of God to bring life into the world. No matter what our actual job, career, hobby, or activity, we have a higher vocation as given to us by our creator. This, not materialism or consumerism, is where true life and flourishing is found. 

My hope is that we realize, first of all, we all have a worldview. Secondly, our worldview is shaped by the stories we listen to. Lastly, our culture isn’t neutral and its stories influence us, whether we want them to or not. And so, it’s always important for us to revisit our worldview in order to test whether it’s in line with God’s word. That’s why the stories of Genesis 1-3 are still so important for us today. These stories have the power to shape us and the way we live. And the way of the Bible is most often very counter-cultural. If you want to test it out, pick a moral issue or a life situation and filter it through the narratives of our culture as compared to the Bible. How are they different? Which one would you follow? 

There’s so much rich wisdom in God’s revelation of the Bible to us, even Genesis 1-3 alone. May our searching and digging continue. And may God bless us as we strive to live on the path of life and flourishing in partnership with Him.